Finlay, Schuler and Wenger are 2011 Men's Hermann Trophy Finalists

The two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, a first-team All-ACC selection and College Cup participant and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year comprise the three finalists for the 2011 Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer. The finalists were determined in voting by Division I men's head coaches at institutions who are members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Ethan Finlay from Creighton, Billy Schuler from North Carolina and Andrew Wenger from Duke are the three finalists for the award. The trio will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis on Friday, Jan. 6, for a news conference, where the winner of the award will be revealed (approximately 7 p.m. EST). A banquet at the Club that evening will feature the formal presentation of the prestigious crystal soccer ball trophy to the winner.

Finlay, a senior forward from Marshfield, Wis., has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year the past two seasons. He led the league with 14 goals and 34 points this season. His overtime goal against South Florida advanced the Bluejays to their fourth College Cup appearance, their first since 2002. It was his sixth game-winner of the season.

Schuler, a junior forward from Allentown, N.J., ranks among the top 10 goal scorers in the nation, having found the net 15 times this season. He was credited with one of his five assists this season in the Tar Heels’ 2-0 win over Saint Mary’s in the NCAA quarterfinals. A demonstrated force in clutch situations, he has delivered eight game-winning goals this season, three of which have come in overtime.

Wenger, a junior forward from Lititz, Pa., was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year one year after earning the league’s defensive honor. Moving up top after two seasons as a center back, he demonstrated his attacking prowess by matching Duke’s single-season record with 17 goals. The ACC Rookie of the Year in 2009, he is the first Blue Devil since Jay Heaps to be named first-team All-ACC in each of his first three seasons.

The MAC has honored the top player in collegiate soccer since 1986. Some of the biggest names in soccer, such as Mia Hamm and Claudio Reyna, have won the award. For a complete list of past winners, go to www.mac-hermann-trophy.org.